1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to golf and more specifically to a guiding apparatus for guiding a putter shaft through a straight back and through a putting stroke.
2. Description of Related Art
When a golf ball reaches the green, the player then putts the ball into the hole. The goal is to get the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible when using a putter. When putting, it is important that the shaft and blade of the putter be moved in a straight back and through direction to have a putting swing that will move the ball in a straight line toward the target. In addition, when putting, the golfer's head should be held still and the club swing should be from the player's upper body including his/her arms and shoulders and not from the hip. During putting a player should be looking directly at the ball or slightly ahead of the ball.
When practicing putting, it is difficult for the player to determine whether the shaft of the putter is truly following a desired path of moving straight back and then reversing motion by moving along the same path straight forward toward the ball. If the golfer's head moves to watch the putter shaft while he/she is making the swing, the practice swing will not be a true practice swing. Thus, if the golfer is watching the putter shaft as it is going back instead of the ball, it may not be going straight back and then straight forward when the golfer is actually playing on a golf course and looking at the golf ball while actually putting a ball.
The use of various types of devices for improving a golfer's putting stroke is known in the prior art. More specifically, by way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,267 to Roe discloses a golf putting trainer having a first elongated member; a second elongated member which is positioned generally parallel to the first elongated member, and is spaced apart from the first elongated member; a connecting member which is positioned between the first elongated member and the second elongated member and which is connected to the first elongated member near a first end of the first elongated member, and is connected to the second elongated member near a first end of the second elongated member; a target which is slidably mounted to the connecting member and is in a slidable relationship with the connecting member, wherein the target is positioned between the first elongated member and the second elongated member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,355 to Johnson discloses a guide for guiding a putter blade during a putting stroke. A first elongated member has a first end and a second end where the second end has an aperture which extends into the second end. A second elongated member also has a first and second end and the second end of the second elongated member also has an aperture which extends into the second end. A unitary accordion member which has a first end and a second end each of which has a protruding knuckle sized to be frictionally fit into the apertures of the second ends of the first and second elongated members. The accordion member is collapsible and extendable to vary the distance between the second ends of the first and second elongated members.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,355 to Kim discloses apparatus for refining a golfer's putting skill by making the starting and ending points of the putting stroke easy to evaluate. The apparatus is a rectangular frame which is placed on the ground with the head of the putter inside the frame and perpendicular to the long sides of the frame. A golf ball is placed on the ground roughly in the center of the frame. The putter is drawn back a given distance to the edge of an adjustable backstop. At the end of the stroke the putter just contacts a flexible rod whose position along the frame can be adjusted. The frame has both fixed and adjustable markings to allow the golfer to judge the beginning of the putting stroke and then follow through.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,066 to Kane discloses a guide that has a forwardly facing flat surface and a pair of rearwardly extending mutually spaced leg engaging members contoured to be held between a golfer's legs. The leg engaging members are mounted between a pair of parallel tracks on the rear of the forwardly facing flat surface, and the spacing between the leg engaging members may be varied by moving same along the length of the parallel tracks. An adjustable length guide clamp has one end for attachment to the shaft of a putter and the other end for sliding movement along the forwardly facing flat surface of the guide member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,057 to Arima discloses a golf putting practice device having a bottom panel, a left side panel and a right side panel where the left and right side panels are connected to the bottom panel, and a notch that exposes a putting surface which is adapted to receive a golf ball. The left and right side panels are perpendicularly oriented to the bottom panel and spaced apart a distance at least slightly greater than the length of the head of the golf putter. Each of the side panels has a top and a bottom edge, and a plurality of grooves in the top edge. At least one relocatable rod having a length greater than the distance between the left and right side panels is removeably positioned in corresponding grooves in the left and right side panels. The bottom panel is substantially transparent and has a reflective surface in which a golfer can see his/her reflection before, during, and after putting. Longitudinal and lateral lines on the bottom panel of the device provide the golfer with visual guides for a straight putting stroke with the head of the putter square to the straight line of the putting stroke.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,711 to Hansburg discloses an upright post which may be detachably secured in the putting green at the position of the ball, the post rigidly mounting a reel at its lower end which carries a cord or tape which may be extended and detachably secured at the edge of the hole, the tape serving as a guide for the golfer. The height of the upright post is such that it may be grasped by the golfer without bending.
U.S. PreGrant Pub. No. 2003/0148816 to Tryon discloses a golf-putting arm guide which has an arm serpentine that is attached detachably to a top end of a golf-club grip and articulated to entwine the golfer's upward arm in straightness orientation for acquiring a sense of the straightness orientation to learn putting accuracy. The arm serpentine is preferably a wire having a club-grip end that fits snugly into a club-grip orifice in the top end of the golf-club grip. The arm serpentine includes a fore-arm guide proximate a mid section that fits snugly against an inside of the front or upward forearm of the golfer. Outwardly from the forearm guide, the arm serpentine includes an arm hook that hooks onto golfer's upward or front arm. The club-grip end can include one or more linear ridges as anti-rotation fins and a snap ridge which can be built onto or attachable to the club-grip end of the arm serpentine. The arm serpentine is bendable to fit one arm size or a class of arm sizes rigidly. The arm serpentine can be predeterminedly flexible and have fixable rigidity with ball-and-socket beads tightened intermediate to the arm hook and the club-grip end. Also, the arm serpentine can have structural memory with metallic or non-metallic material.
U.S. PreGrant Pub. No. 2005/0130756 to Chang discloses two rails each having a curved upper surface corresponding to a curved moving pathway of a golf club head while swinging the golf club head relative to the rails, and a link coupling the rails together, to maintain a gap formed between the rails. The curved upper surfaces of the rails are used to guide users to practice putting exercises. Each of the rails includes a graduation disposed on the curved upper surface. Each of the rails includes an outer bulge higher than an inner bar, to form a shoulder between the inner bar and the outer bulge, and having a graduation disposed on a curved upper surface.